Page 145 - AIT1116_E-Paper

A ctually, the Hofmatt retirement and nursing home in Münchensteinshould have only Entwurf • Design Oplatek Architekten AG, Jura Oplatek, CH-Basel →
been refurbished and extended. The oldest building wings, however, could not be
Bauherr • Client Stiftung Hof matt, CH-Münchenstein
revitalised anymore and had to be replaced with new buildings. So the centre developed
Standort • Location Pumpwerk straße 3, CH-Münchenstein
into an almost completely new ensemble with a modern and open appearance. The new
Fertigstellung • Completion August 2015
wing providing the actual capacity increase from 124 to 165 nursing places is located on
Nutzfläche • Floor space ca. 16.000 m 2
the previously undeveloped area in the southeast part of the site, affording views across
Fotos • Photos HG Esch Photography, Hennef
the adjoining river landscape and the village centre of Alt-Münchenstein located oppo-
site. With its sweeping, curved shape, the south wing forms the termination of the resi-
dential area towards the open terrain at the tributary of the Rhine, where further deve-
lopments are not permitted. The two new volumes replacing the old buildings dating
from 1966 and 1975, which were demolished owing to structural and operational defi-
ciencies, are situated at the original site along ‘Pumpwerkstraße’ but fully exploit the
available plot area up to the construction line. The youngest existing buildings from 1996
were retained and adapted to latest standards with minor conversion measures. Owing
to a difference in level between the entrance and garden, the architects were able to
position the single volumes so that the five storeys of the north and west wing are not
recognisable from the outside. Along ‘Pumpwerkstraße’, the building only looks as if it
is two- to three-storeys high, while the three-storey extension wing visually exceeds the
height of the entrance section when viewed from the southeast. Obviously, the topogra-
phy presented a challenge as regards the access structure of the ensemble.

Floor plan and façade design ensure a high daylight yield

On the lower floors, the light-flooded gallery also connects the single building wings
accommodating the different residential areas, thus shortening the necessary circulation
routes. Furthermore, it offers the residents the possibility to take a walk inside the buil- Grundriss Regelgeschoss • Standard Floorplan
ding, regardless of the weather. Thereby the views through both completely glazed faça-
des facilitate orientation in the extensive complex. The connecting gallery positioned
Im gesamten Gebäude sowie in den Außenbereichen ... • In the whole building as well as the outside areas ...
sideways divides the outdoor space between the entrance wing and the extension into
two courtyards with different characters. Both courtyards can be connected by means
of the glass elements on the garden level, the garden hall, which can be opened wide.
With the exception of the west wing, the residents’ rooms are arranged on one side
owing to the topography and the orientation towards the cardinal directions. The thus
created, relatively long corridors are repeatedly interrupted by naturally lit coves, which
people like to use as informal sitting and lounge zones. Since the circulation areas as
conceived as mixed zones, the corridors are seamlessly extended into the lounge areas.
In the west wing, the façades of which are on three sides occupied with the rooms of
residents, daylight is brought to the lowest level through an internal atrium. An impor-
tant criterion of the design was the atmosphere of the new rooms, which had to convey
homeliness and avoid any hospital atmosphere. Natural materials were chosen for the
fitout, which radiate a warm, healthy living climate.

High illumination levels keep the residents alive in the daytime

For the artificial illumination, lighting designer Adrian Huber was guided by scientific
insights about the dependency of the wellbeing of older people on the provision of light,
and together with neurobiologist Anna Wirz-Justice and the Fraunhofer Institute from
... wurden vorrangig iGuzzini-Leuchten verwendet. • ... primarily iGuzzini luminaires have been installed.
Stuttgart, he created the concept for a general illumination with above-average bright-
ness and light intensities changing in the course of the day. Science focuses on a parti-
cularly large amount of daylight, which as a sufficient strength for therapeutic effects
even on rainy, dull days, as well as bright artificial light concepts for interiors. For people
suffering from dementia, in particular, high illumination intensities show a therapeutic
effect and support the harmonisation of the sleep-wake rhythm. More activities during
the day let people fall asleep more quickly in the evening and help them to better sleep
through at night. Based on these premises, Adrian Huber developed LED luminaires,
which emit high lumen packages to the surroundings without glare. In the open-plan
lounge areas in the corridors of the residential wings, they are suspended from the cei-
ling in groups as large, circular objects in two sizes and complemented with square wall-
mounted luminaires. They generate light intensities, which keep the residents awake on
days when they cannot go outside into the sunlight. Additionally, they add a rhythm to
the corridor areas. The entrances of the residents’ rooms and the corridors are additio-
nally illuminated with dimmable and 2,000 lumen strong Reflex LED recessed ceiling
luminaires by iGuzzini, which radiate an especially soft, homogeneous and almost glare-
free light. When selecting the luminaires, glare reduction was a particularly important
aspect, so that people feel comfortable despite the above-average light intensity.

AIT 11.2016 • 145